For the third year in a row, Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq is focusing on suicide prevention and on fostering greater openness about mental distress and suicidal thoughts.
This month, suicide prevention instructors from the municipality’s Department of Children and Families held a training session for frontline staff in Nuuk and Paamiut to provide participants with the knowledge and tools to recognize signs of distress and conduct difficult conversations.
In Week 44, the course will be held in Tasiilaq with several classes. Participants will include, among others, staff who work closely with residents, daycare centers, and the school.
Tools for Difficult Conversations
In the courses, participants gain new knowledge about suicide, suicidal thoughts, and mental distress. They also gain new insights into research on suicide in Greenland. Participants learn to recognize signs of distress and are given concrete tools for difficult conversations. They have the opportunity to practice and become better equipped to support individuals in the right way.
When the course was held in Paamiut from September 15 to 17, Tim Serritzlev, a youth counselor with the Administration for Children and Families, was pleased with what he had learned and with the opportunity to collaborate with others, even though he works alone in his field:
“I’ve gained valuable experience with the various steps one can take during a conversation when immediate action is required, as well as insight into what those steps entail. What I’ve learned about behavior and assessing the level of risk has already proven very useful in my work. Even though I’m the only one in my field, I now collaborate more closely with others, which is both helpful and makes my work more flexible.”
Paneeraq M. Egede, a family counselor at the Family Counseling Center in Paamiut, particularly appreciated learning how to use open-ended and closed-ended questions in her conversations and also gained tools for creating a sense of calm:
“The most important thing I’ve learned is to calm someone down without immediately starting a conversation with someone who is upset, angry, or stressed. It’s a skill that will be very useful in my work.”
Marie-Louise Kleist, a family counselor at the Child and Family Counseling Center in Paamiut, found the tools for creating a calm atmosphere during conversations, assessing the situation, and conducting conversations particularly helpful. She also learned how to refer clients to others who can help without losing track of the case.
“I’ve gained valuable insight into how to create a sense of calm through breathing exercises during a conversation, and how to assess the situation after the conversation. I’ve also gained tools to help refer people to other services—such as the healthcare system, psychotherapists, grief counselors, and others—without letting the matter drop. That knowledge will be useful to all of us.”
The course in Paamiut was taught by the municipality’s suicide prevention instructors, Arnannguaq Petersen and Agathe Lyberth. In Nuuk, Najattaaq Møldrup and Najaaraq Guldager led the course.
The initiative is also intended to help break down taboos and foster greater openness about mental distress and suicidal thoughts. When it becomes easier to talk about difficult thoughts and feelings, it also becomes easier to seek and receive help.
Yellow September is therefore not a one-time initiative, but part of Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq’s ongoing prevention efforts. Throughout the year, the municipality focuses on promoting well-being, preventing distress, and ensuring effective collaboration across disciplines so that children, youth, families, and other residents can receive help as early as possible.
